


we are stronger here together

by stormie2817



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Established Keith/Lance (Voltron), F/M, Fluff, Gen, I wanted to write something happy before season 8, Idiots in Love, M/M, Multi, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, One Shot, Please Forgive me, Sappy, This is pure fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Weddings, adashi, author sucks at summaries, broganes, klance, klance wedding, the bonding moment, wedding vows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 12:02:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16974264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormie2817/pseuds/stormie2817
Summary: “Keith.” Lance whispered.“Lance.” Keith whispered back and smiled.“Keith, oh my god. We’re married.” Lance’s voice wavered a bit at the end and Keith squeezed his hands.“Yeah, we are. I almost can’t believe it.” Keith had the softest smile on his face as he stared into Lance’s eyes.They had been through so much, had sacrificed so much. They had both lost many things during the war.Now the war has finally come to an end, and Keith and Lance are ready to take the next step in their relationship.[a.k.a. - Klance Wedding Fluff: The Fic]





	we are stronger here together

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first time I've ever written a fanfic and I'm kinda nervous about posting it. >.<
> 
> I've only been in this fandom for about 2 years, but I've never connected to something so fast. I really love the characters and I wanted to take the time to honour them in my own way before season 8 premiers. Keith and Lance have captivated me from the beginning and they'll continue to live on in my heart even after the show comes to an end. ಥ‿ಥ
> 
> The title is from a Michael Bublé song called "[Hold On](https://youtu.be/6QCDJe4TcoI)". I listened to that and Elvis' "[Can't Help Falling In Love](https://youtu.be/vGJTaP6anOU)" on repeat while writing this fic. I originally planned on this being, like, 2k words at most... but the words kept adding up... and it got out of hand... so I ended up with this 7.3k word monster. :|
> 
> Whatever happens with Klance, I wanted to write a super fluffy wedding fic cuz I couldn't get the idea out of my head! I tried to write it in character as much as I could, but I was projecting a lot, too! I hope they're not super OOC, but please forgive me if they are! I tried my best! >.<
> 
> This does have background established Adashi because I love Adam and he didn't deserve the fate canon dealt him! Also, Shiro deserves to be happy! Though the other characters appear in this, it's mainly Klance. Seriously. Everyone else is pretty much a background character. I wanted to flesh out their relationship and focus on their feelings.
> 
> Anyways, it took me three days to write since I kept on adding things. It's also not beta-read cuz I wanted to finish this as fast as I could and post it before season 8. Any mistakes made are my own! Feel free to point them out (kindly!) in the comments.
> 
> I hope you like it! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Lance stared at his reflection in the mirror and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in his shirt for the fifth time in three minutes. He yanked on the lapels of his jacket and fiddled with the bow tie around his neck nervously before a voice called out from behind him.

“Cut it out! You're gonna ruin it, and I don't think your sister is gonna be very happy if she has to fix it again!”

Lance turned away from the mirror and frantically rushed to the owner of the voice. “Hunk! Thank God you're here!” He gripped Hunk's shoulders and squeezed tightly. “Do I look okay?” He stepped away just as fast and spread his arms to the side a bit and turned in a circle slowly. “Are there any wrinkles? Do I have a stain on my butt? Oh my god, whose idea was it to pick white? I'm gonna stain this before I even walk down-”

“Dude!” Hunk cut off Lance's nervous ranting by gently placing his hands on Lance's tense shoulders. “Take a deep breath. You look great! You have nothing to worry about!”

Hunk's words served to agitate Lance further. He walked away from Hunk and faced the mirror again. “Are you sure? I mean, is this bow tie even tied correctly? Whose idea was it to wear bow ties? And I'm totally gonna stain this stupid white suit! Hunk!”

The door opened during Lance's rant and Hunk looked to his left when he heard someone step up next to him. Pidge watched Lance in front of the mirror and exchanged a glance of exasperated fondness with Hunk.

He stepped up again when Lance reached for the bow tie and Pidge helped wrestle Lance away from the mirror.

“Buddy, you need to relax!” Hunk smoothed away the few wrinkles Lance managed to get in his shirt.

Pidge piped up before Lance could say anything. “Yeah, and it was _your_ idea anyway!”

Hunk gave her an exasperated look and gripped Lance's shoulders, stopping him from speaking. “What Pidge _meant_ to say is that you look great and everything is going exactly how you wanted it to be.”

Lance looked at his friends in uncertainty and took a hesitant breath. “Are you sure?”

Pidge and Hunk exchanged another look before guiding Lance to the sofa and making him sit down. When Lance went to run a hand through his hair, Hunk grabbed it and held onto it gently but firmly.

“Lance, look at me.” Hunk waited until Lance complied. He smiled at him and watched as he lost some of the tension in his shoulders. “You look great. Everything is going according to plan. You have nothing to worry about, buddy!”

Lance looked at Pidge and she quickly smiled just as reassuringly to him. “Yeah, Lance! You look amazing! You did a great job planning this, so what are you stressing out about?”

Lance slumped back into the sofa and let out a huge breath. “You're right. I don't even know why I'm so nervous. I just... I want everything to be perfect, you know?” He glanced up at his friends again.

They smiled at him and Hunk gave his hand another squeeze. Lance gave a tentative smile back.

“It is going to be perfect! But not until we get that bow tie fixed again!” Pidge stood up and quickly walked towards the door. “Lemme go grab Veronica! Be right back!”

Lance stood up and took a few deep breaths. Hunk watched as he walked back to the mirror and untied the bow tie in preparation for Veronica.

Lance's eyes connected with Hunk's in the mirror. “Do you think he's as nervous as I am?”

Hunk raised an eyebrow at the question. “Who, Keith?” Hunk chuckled at shook his head. “Nah, man. He's probably just calmly waiting for when it's time for him to get going. Don't fret! Besides, he has Shiro, Adam, and Allura there to help him out.”

Lance smiled at his best friend finally relaxed completely. “You're right! Keith's probably super calm and collected right now! I need to be more like him!”

The door opened, revealing Pidge and Veronica. Hunk and Lance both laughed at Veronica's scolding. Lance raised his hands in surrender and nodded when his sister told him this was the last time she was going to fix it for him.

Lance smiled as his friends and sister joked and teased each other. This was going to be a day to remember and he was so happy he was surrounded by all his loved ones. He faced his reflection in the mirror and smiled brightly.

* * *

Keith was freaking out. He yanked and tugged at the piece of fabric around his neck, trying to tie it into a semblance of a knot. He growled angrily when he saw one side of the bow was neat while the other side was drooping. He was about to run his fingers through his hair in frustration when a voice called out from behind him and made him freeze.

“Touch that hair again and I'm going to shave it all off!”

Keith dropped his hands and turned around sheepishly, watching Allura stomp over to him in her intimidating high heels. He had a growth spurt during those two years he spent on a space whale with his mom, but her heels gave her the boost she needed to be eye level with him.

Allura noticed Keith nervously bite his lip while she fixed the few strands that fell away from the careful style she wrangled his hair into. “There.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled when he finally looked at her. “Now tell me what's gotten you so frustrated that you almost ruined your hair yet again.”

Despite her lightly teasing tone, Keith frowned guiltily and sighed. “I'm sorry, Allura. I'm just... nervous.”

Allura dropped her hands from his shoulders and gripped his hands in hers tightly. “Oh, Keith! There's no need to be nervous! Everything is going to be fine! You look great!”

Keith glanced down at the lopsided bow tie and frowned deeply before looking at Allura again.

“I-I know. I just....” He paused until Allura nodded her head encouragingly. He let out a deep breath and continued. “I just need everything to be perfect, you know? It's what he deserves....” He broke eye contact and trailed off with a blush on his face.

Allura's smile turned soft and she gave his hands another squeeze. “It will. Everything is going to be perfect.” She let go of his hands and smiled brightly again. “Well, at least it will be once we get that bow tie fixed! I'll be right back!”

As soon as Allura was out of sight, presumably to fetch someone who knew how to tie a bow tie, Keith faced the mirror again and groaned when he saw it was even _more_ lopsided than before.

“Whose idea was it to wear bow ties anyway?” He grumbled to himself under his breath as he fumbled with the piece of fabric.

The door opened and a voice startled him out of his thoughts. “Keith?”

Keith turned to face whoever called his name and sighed in relief when Shiro walked in with Adam trailing behind.

Shiro chuckled when he saw the wrinkled mess of a bow tie around his little brother's neck. “Allura said you were having trouble with your bow tie.”

Adam reached forward and tucked a small piece of cloth in Keith's breast pocket. “I think trouble is an understatement. Maybe we should get the back-up bow tie. It clips on.”

At Keith's affronted expression, Shiro and Adam both burst out laughing.

“He's kidding!” Shiro put a reassuring hand on Keith's shoulder until he felt the tension leave them before reaching to fix the bow tie.

Adam noticed Keith's brow furrowing and smoothed it out with his thumb. “You all right, Keith?”

Keith looked up into his brother-in-law's concerned face and sighed again. “I don't know what I'm doing.”

Shiro and Adam exchanged a look before steering Keith to the large chair in the room and sitting on the table in front of it. They each took one of Keith's hand in their own and waited until Keith looked up at them.

Adam took the lead and squeezed Keith's hand reassuringly. “What's on your mind, bud?”

Keith hunched his shoulders up before dropping them again after heaving out a deep sigh. “I'm just... really nervous.” Shiro hummed understandingly and encouraged Keith to continue talking. “I just want everything to be perfect. I know we planned everything out but I don't want anything to go wrong cuz it needs to be perfect since it's a really big day and we've been waiting for it forever and it's what he deserves-”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Shiro cut Keith off before he got too worked up. “Deep breaths. Everything is going to be great!”

“Takashi's right.” Adam piped up from beside Shiro. “Everything is going according to plan. You have nothing to worry about, Keith.”

Their words did nothing to soothe the anxiety in Keith's mind. He stood up and starting pacing nervously in front of the mirror again.

“Everyone keeps saying not to worry, but what if something goes wrong? What if I trip? Or-or my bow tie unties itself before I've even reached the stage?” He turned around and looked at Shiro in horror. “Oh my god, what if I get a stain on this suit? Shiro! Whose idea was it to wear white?!”

Shiro rushed to his brother before he could wrinkle his suit any further. “Whoa, just relax, Keith! You're not going to stain your suit and your bow tie isn't going to untie itself. You really need to calm down. You're worrying for no reason.”

“You said it yourself; you planned everything out so it's going to be great!” Adam stood beside Keith and pulled him into a side hug.

“It needs to be _perfect_!” Keith stressed out. “Because he deserves it and I want him to be happy.”

“And he will be!” Shiro wrapped his arms around his little brother and squeezed tight. “He's going to be incredibly happy because it's _you_ and he loves you.”

Keith felt all the anxiety rush out of him at his brother's words. He buried his face in Shiro's chest and wrapped his arms around him. He smiled in content when Adam adjusted his hold and turned it into a group hug.

“Um, sorry to interrupt this lovely moment.” Three heads turned to face Allura as she walked towards them. “But it's almost time to get started and I see I have to fix someone's hair again for the fourth time.”

Shiro's eyes widened and he chuckled nervously while he and Adam stepped away from Keith. “Sorry, Princess! This time it was on me.”

Allura smiled kindly at Shiro before resuming fixing Keith's hair. “It's all right, Shiro. I'm just glad Keith is finally relaxed a bit.” She looked into Keith's eyes and smiled again. “The ceremony is starting in ten minutes. Krolia is waiting for you at the doors leading in.”

Keith felt a little bit of the anxiety return but pushed it back when he saw their reassuring smiles.

“You’ve got this, Keith.” Shiro gave Keith's shoulder one last comforting pat before stepping away. “We'll be waiting for you inside.”

Keith took a deep breath and nodded at his friends. He watched them all leave the dressing room with Allura leading the way and Adam and Shiro following hand in hand.

He faced his reflection to check his appearance one last time before there was a knock on the door. He turned around as Krolia walked in with Kosmo at her heels. His mom smiled at him and Kosmo wagged his tail happily.

“Are you ready?” She put her hand out for Keith to take.

Keith smiled back at her and placed his hand in her outstretched one. “As I'll ever be.”

* * *

Lance faced the doors that would lead into the large room that the ceremony was going to take place. He stood between his parents, each holding on to one of his hands in preparation to walk him inside. His mom could feel him shaking slightly due to nerves.

“Are you all right, mijo?” She squeezed his arm reassuringly.

Knowing he could never lie to his mother, Lance sighed and told the truth. “Just nervous. There's going to be a lot of people inside....”

“Well, it is the wedding between two paladins of Voltron! It was bound to be a big event!”

His father chuckled and smiled at him from his other side. “Yes and the two paladins notorious for getting into fights the most often, too!”

Lance frowned. “We haven't fought like that in so long, though! We've gotten better! People don't still see us like that, do they?”

His mom clasped his arm with her free hand before he could work himself up again. “Your father is just teasing, mijo. Everyone knows how far you two have come. It's a big event because you both have so many people who love you and want to show their support.”

Lance bit his lip nervously at his mother's words. He had performed in front of thousands of aliens in the Voltron Show with his fellow paladins while trying to recruit planets for the Coalition, but he had never been as nervous as he was facing those doors.

“There's going to be so many people staring at me. What if I trip?!”

His mom smiled again. “Don't focus on them, mijo. You only have one person to focus on and he's waiting for you beyond these doors. Are you ready to see him?”

Lance's heart started racing and he took a deep before letting it all out in a big whoosh. He nodded and stood up straighter. “Yeah. I'm ready.”

The doors opened and Lance sucked in a breath as his eyes took in the sheer amount of people in the room. He saw Garrison officials sitting with his old friends from school, Blade members sitting next to Balmerans, a few Alteans liberated from the colony were sitting with the rest of his family. He could feel them all staring and smiling at him excitedly, but his focus was on the figure in white standing at the front with the minister while their friends stood off to slightly to the side.

Lance let his parents guide him to the bottom of the steps leading up to the small stage, all the while his eyes were locked on a pair of violet eyes. When a hand reached out to take his, Lance instantly grasped it and let himself be pulled up the three steps to the top.

To say Keith looked amazing would be an understatement. They had decided on identical white suits with a white dress shirt, white pants, and a white vest under the jacket. The only pop of colour was the red bow tie and matching red pocket square.

It was Lance's idea to pay homage to their original Lion colours, and Keith agreed enthusiastically. Lance didn't admit to Keith that he associated Keith with red, not just because of his original Lion, but because of his fiery determination and passion when it came to things he cared about. Keith was red no matter what Lion he was piloting.

Lance felt Keith give his hand a squeeze and he reciprocated before they both turned to face the minister so the ceremony could begin.

* * *

If you had told fourteen year old Keith Kogane that one day he was going to be standing at an altar in a white suit about to exchange vows with Lance McClain, he would have laughed and told you that you were crazy.

Laughing was the last thing on his mind as he watched Lance enter the room hand in hand with his parents. Lance was a vision in white. His hair was tousled slightly and pushed away from his forehead. Keith liked leaving kisses on that forehead and watching Lance flush a pretty pink when he did.

The blue of his bow tie and pocket square was the only colour amidst the stark white of his suit. Keith had agreed immediately when Lance suggested the idea. Lance said it was to honour their original Lions, but Keith had slightly more selfish reasons for agreeing. The blue he chose matched almost exactly to the colour of Lance’s eyes.

When Lance first brought Keith to the beach in Varadero that he grew up near, Keith thought the ocean paled in comparison to Lance. Keith always associated Lance with the ocean. From when they first met and Lance was as chaotic as a stormy sea with its tumultuous waves, to later when they grew closer and the storm calmed down to a steady ebb and flow.

Their relationship was still unpredictable at times, but just like you could count on the ocean’s tide, Keith could count on Lance. As his team member, his right hand man, and now as a life partner.

All the cheesy romance movies he was forced to watch with Lance were playing through his head. His mind zeroed in on Lance’s approaching figure and made everything else disappear. It felt like there was no one in the room but them.

And was Lance… walking in slow motion?

Keith felt his breath catch in his throat when their eyes met and Lance gave him a beaming smile. Keith didn’t know what kind of expression was on his own face; he just stared in awe as Lance came closer to the stage.

He felt Shiro nudge him from behind, which broke him out of his trance and he held out his hand for Lance to take. Their eyes remained locked while Keith pulled Lance up the steps to stand beside him. He gave Lance’s hand a squeeze and felt relieved when Lance squeezed back. They turned together to face the minister.

* * *

Their vows were simple and straightforward. They wanted the ceremony to be short so they could both enjoy the reception afterwards with their friends, family, and loved ones. The guest list was already bordering on massive since they were paladins of Voltron and were required to invite lots of officials and other important people. The Garrison was even going to assign a minister before Lance and Keith finally took matters into their own hands and chose their own minister.

They had found out from the princess that Coran had once led a traditional Altean wedding ceremony for a couple of his friends before Altea was destroyed. Lance and Keith had no doubt in their mind about who to pick as a minister once they heard that. They wanted to add a more personal touch to their wedding. They also figured a human wedding ceremony couldn’t be too much different from an Altean one, so they approached Coran together. Coran got teary eyed before agreeing fervently.

Keith could hear Shiro sniffling behind him and Adam comforting him while he exchanged his vows with Lance. Lance could hear Hunk openly crying and not bothering to hide his tears while he exchanged his vows with Keith. The entire congregation let out a loud cheer when they finally kissed and sealed the deal.

When they turned to face the guests, not a single dry eye could be seen in the crowd. Everyone was cheering and shouting their congratulations at the happy couple. The recessional started and Keith and Lance both had bright smiles on their faces as they walked hand in hand down the aisle and out of the room.

Keith was about to turn left down the hall towards the room where the reception was going to be held when he felt Lance tug his arm and turn to the right. He let himself be led into an empty dressing room.

Lance closed the door behind them and turned to face Keith. He smiled and gripped Keith’s hands tightly.

“Keith.” Lance whispered.

“Lance.” Keith whispered back and smiled.

“Keith, oh my god. We’re married.” Lance’s voice wavered a bit at the end and Keith squeezed his hands.

“Yeah, we are. I almost can’t believe it.” Keith had the softest smile on his face as he stared into Lance’s eyes.

“Do you regret it?” Lance’s eyebrows scrunched up and Keith gave him a disbelieving look.

“Are you kidding me? I thought the ceremony would never end! It was dragging on for so long!”

Lance giggled and shook his head fondly. “Honestly, I’m surprised I said the right words on cue cuz I wasn’t really paying attention to the ceremony.”

Keith raised an eyebrow teasingly. “Oh? And why weren’t you paying attention to the ceremony we painstakingly planned for months on end?”

Lance flushed and turned his head slightly to the side, breaking eye contact. “I was a little distracted.”

“Yeah? By what?” Keith continued to tease him. “Was it the venue? The guests? Or was it me in a suit?”

“Oh my god!” Lance flushed even more and tried to pull his hands away, but Keith laughed and kept them grasped firmly. He paused and smirked up at Keith. “You look very handsome. I’m surprised Allura was able to make a mullet look good! The ponytail really suits you.”

Keith smiled softly and shook his head fondly. “Yeah, yeah, make fun of my hair all you want, you’re stuck with it for the rest of your life.” Keith stared into Lance’s eyes for a moment. “You look so good, Lance. Absolutely beautiful.”

Lance blushed and buried his face in Keith’s chest as Keith wrapped his arms around Lance. They stood like that for a while before Keith spoke up.

“We should probably head out. People have most likely all arrived at the reception room by now.”

Lance blinked and shook himself out of his trance at Keith’s words. “Right, uh, wait.”

Keith watched as Lance took a step away but kept their hands clasped. He waited patiently as Lance gathered his thoughts.

“I know we already exchanged vows in front of everyone and we’re already married, but I wrote my own vows and I wanted to say them to you in private.”

Keith blinked and he started to panic. “B-but I didn’t write anything! I don’t have anything prepared! Were we-when did we decide to do personal vows?! Did I miss the-”

“No! Keith, relax!” Lance waited until Keith calmed down before continuing. “This wasn’t part of the plans we made together. This is just me. I wanted to do something special for you. Though I love the vows we exchanged in front of everyone, I wanted mine to be a bit more personal. So… I just came up with my own and decided I would say them to you when we were alone.”

Keith’s heart skipped a beat and he squeezed Lance’s hands tighter. “You should have told me so I could have something ready for you, too.”

Lance smiled and shook his head. “Can’t have you taking the title of most romantic when we know it belongs to Loverboy Lance!”

Keith rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Lance, you and I both agreed that title went to me permanently after the proposal. Or did you forget the roses, candles, and chocolate...” Keith trailed off and raised an eyebrow teasingly. He chuckled when Lance blushed.

“Hey! How was I supposed to say no when you used all my favourite romantic tropes in one go?” They laughed together before Lance looked up at Keith again. “I’m going to try redeeming my title now. Are you ready?”

Keith smiled and nodded. “Give it your best shot, Sharpshooter.”

Lance took a deep breath and looked directly into Keith’s violet eyes. “Keith. I know we didn’t have the best start when we first met. We were young and stupid and we felt like we had something to prove. I… I felt like _I_ had something to prove.” Lance gripped Keith’s hand when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “You were always one step ahead of me and I felt like I had to work extra hard to catch up. And then one day you were just gone. I took your spot at the top of the class, but it never felt like it was truly mine. I was constantly reminded of how I was just your replacement, so when we met again to save Shiro and everything with Voltron happened I built up this fake rivalry to hide how I really felt about you.” Lance laughed lightly when Keith’s eyes widened at that statement. “No, I didn’t love you then. That didn’t come till later. You were smart, strong, the best pilot, a really good fighter, pretty much a natural at everything you did. I called you my rival while admiring you from afar. I goaded you into fights so you would notice me, but that was pretty unnecessary, wasn’t it?”

Lance giggled when Keith blushed at that admission.

“It wasn’t until our _bonding moment_ that my feelings for you started to grow.” He rolled his eyes at Keith’s smirk. “Yeah, yeah, Mullet, laugh it up! I already know you’re never going to let me live that down! Anyways,” He took a moment to be serious again. “I realized I didn’t have to try so hard to get your attention. I didn’t know when the admiration turned into a crush, but no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn’t stop my feelings from growing. We started working together more and I found our fights were more teasing than serious. When Shiro disappeared again, I realized it was time to put the fake rivalry aside and step up as your right hand man. I couldn’t let you lead by yourself. We were already part of Voltron, but I had to make you realize you could count on me. We were working together so well and we made a hell of a good team!”

Lance took another deep breath before continuing. “I know this is supposed to be a happy day, and I swear I’ll get back to the sappy stuff in a moment, but I need to get this off my chest and explain.” Lance felt Keith tense in anticipation for what he was going to say next. “The hardest part of my time in space was when you left for the Blade of Marmora. I tried to get over you and hate you for leaving us behind, for leaving _me_ behind, but I couldn’t.”

Keith looked down and frowned, but Lance lifted his hands to Keith’s face and made their eyes connect again.

“Hey, babe, none of that.” He smoothed out the wrinkles in Keith’s brow. “It was necessary for you to leave. You needed to find out where you came from and I completely understand. I had some growing up to do as well. I finally admitted my feelings for you to myself and decided that I was gonna tell you once you got back. And I _knew_ you were going to come back.” Lance brought his hands down to clasp Keith’s again. “And what a way to come back! Taller, more mature-”

Keith smirked and cut Lance off. “If I remember correctly, I think the exact words you used were ‘bigger, cooler, and grizzled’, right?”

Lance flushed and used one hand to hit Keith lightly on the shoulder. “Shut up! I’m trying to say my vows to you, you jerk!”

Keith laughed but complied when Lance held both of his hands again. He couldn’t wipe the fond smile off his face, though.

“Where was I?” Lance backtracked in his head before resuming his train of thought. “Oh, right! You came crashing back in with your badass Galra mom, a lost Altean, and a freaking _space wolf_! Like what the heck, Keith?” He shook his head fondly at the memory. “As soon as I saw you, I wanted to yell out my feelings. But we had a space war to fight. Things were getting more dangerous and I felt like I was never going to get a chance to tell you. Between the battles and the strategy meetings, we somehow found a way to be closer. When you became Black Paladin again, you instantly trusted me as your right hand man. The first time I got to admit my feelings was during that stupid game-show-dream-that-wasn’t-exactly-a-dream. I wanted you to know that I would always choose you.” Lance’s voice started to waver as his emotions took over. “Whether we’re walking the halls of the Garrison, whether we’re fighting aliens in space, whether we’re piloting a giant robot spaceship, whether we’re rebuilding the place we call home, no matter what, I’ll always choose you.”

Lance watched as Keith’s eyes got a little teary and he took a shuddering breath before saying the last of what he had prepared.

“You’re amazing, Keith. You’re everything I never knew I needed in my life and I want you to know that I’ll always think that. You make me so happy and I wanna do the same for you. We’ve been through so much together and I can’t wait to see what our future holds.” Lance could feel tears stinging the corners of his eyes. “I love you, Keith. I love you so much and you can always count on me to have your back cuz I’ll always be behind you.”

Keith felt a few tears leak down his face. “Lance, no, I don’t need someone behind me.” He kept one hand on Lance’s face and wrapped his free arm around Lance’s waist to pull him closer. “I need someone to stand with me, side by side, hand in hand. We started this journey together and we’re going to continue being by each other’s side.” The tears were leaking down both of their faces freely now. “I love you so much, Lance. You always believed in me. I don’t care if we started off on the wrong foot, we figured ourselves out eventually. You never treated me differently when I found out I was part Galra. You continued picking fights and turning everything into a challenge like you normally did. It really helped keep me grounded. You helped me be the leader when Shiro was missing. You kept the team together when it felt like everything was going to fall apart.”

Keith wiped at the tears trailing down Lance’s cheeks and smiled. “You were right when you said you didn’t need to try so hard for my attention, though. I was always watching you from afar.” Keith paused and grimaced. “Uh, that sounded creepy. I didn’t mean that in a weird way. I meant, like, I always noticed you. Wait. Ugh.”

Lance laughed while Keith stumbled and tried to gather his thoughts.

“You know what I mean!” Keith waited until Lance nodded while still laughing. “Anyways. Yeah. I already knew you were smart, talented, a great pilot—though the first time in Blue was kinda scary, you have to admit-”

“Hey! It was my first time flying something that wasn’t a simulator! And it was a _giant alien spaceship_ , Keith!” Lance smiled begrudgingly when Keith laughed and apologized.

“Okay, okay! I’m just kidding! I developed a crush on you pretty early on during our time in space. Hard to ignore such pretty blue eyes and such a gorgeous face.” Keith relished in the blush that dusted Lance’s cheeks at his words. “As the days passed and we worked as a team, my feelings grew deeper. I saw your selflessness, your determination. I saw how much you missed your family but you never let that get in the way of saving the universe. You always put others before you and you brought the team together and strengthened that bond. You made that your new family. I could never have lead Voltron the first time without your help and support. There was no doubt in my mind that you would be the perfect right hand man when you calmed me down after my disastrous first time as Black Paladin. You didn’t let me tunnel vision on the mistake I made. You didn’t baby me and gloss over my mistake either. You helped me take ownership and we fixed it together. I knew I could trust you completely after that. The fact that you were willing to step aside as a paladin when we got Shiro back cuz you thought it would help the team spoke volumes. I couldn’t let you do that, not after all the progress I saw you making as a paladin and as a person. So I did what I thought was best—I left the team so you wouldn’t have to.”

Keith paused and pulled Lance closer until their foreheads were touching.

“I’m sorry for leaving you. I didn’t know it would affect you as much as it did cuz I didn’t know how you felt about me then. My time with the Blades was tough. I missed the castleship, I missed the team. I missed _you_. God, I missed you. But I had to find out more about where I came from. I had to help in any way I could and the Blades helped me figure out what was most important to me. And then I had to spend two years on a space whale with my mom.” He locked his gaze with Lance’s again. “I didn’t tell you this, but it wasn’t just the fight with Shiro I saw in those visions of the future. I saw… small glimpses of you. Of us. They weren’t as clear and focused as the Shiro vision, but they were there. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I tried to ignore them for a while. As the days passed, they continued to happen, so I made the decision to tell you how I felt once I got back, just to get some closure. I never thought you would feel the same, so I pushed you away once I got back. You came to mean so much to me and the thought of you not being a part of my life was too heartbreaking for me to handle. Fighting a space war gave me the excuse I needed to prolong the inevitable as long as I could.”  
Lance listened with rapt attention as Keith smiled and continued.

“It wasn’t until the weird game-show-dream-that-wasn’t-exactly-a-dream that I found out you might actually like me back.” Keith laughed. “And I almost blew my chance then, too! I don’t like to think about where we would be today if Kosmo hadn’t teleported me to your Lion and promptly disappeared, which pretty much forced us to talk. I guess we have him to thank for making us finally get our heads out of our asses and getting together.”

“And here we are today.” Lance’s voice was as soft as the smile on his face.

“Yeah,” Keith agreed with an equally soft smile on his own face. “Here we are today.”

Lance groaned lightly and buried his face in Keith’s chest. “I can’t believe you’ve one-upped me with wedding vows when you didn’t even prepare yours!”

Keith shook his head fondly before pressing a kiss to the top of Lance’s head.

“I’m not trying to one-up you, silly. I just need you to know how much you mean to me and how much I love you. You make me a better person, Lance. I never gave much thought to the phrase ‘better half’ before, but it makes sense to me now. You’re my better half, Lance. You make me want to be a better person so I can feel like I’m worthy enough to stand by your side. I love you so much and I feel like the luckiest guy in the universe that you love me back.” Keith felt Lance’s shoulder shaking with silent sobs and hugged him tighter. “Crap, I didn’t wanna make you cry! I’m supposed to be making you happy.”

Lance pulled his head back and laughed with a watery smile on his face. “You _do_ make me happy, Mullet! God, I’m such a mess!”

Keith pressed another kiss to Lance’s forehead as he tried to wipe away the tears that were still falling.

“Lance, I can’t promise that we won’t get into fights in the future or that we’ll never disagree with each other. We’re both still learning and growing as people and we can’t prevent that from happening. What I _can_ promise is that I’ll stand by your side no matter what. You’ll always have my trust and I’ll always be here for you. I promise to try my best to make you happy as much as I can. I promise to always communicate and work through any problems we might face in the future. We’re in this together forever now and I promise I’ll always cherish that. I love you, Lance, and I promise I’ll try to show you just how much every day from this day forward.”

Lance surged up and kissed Keith passionately.

“Me, too.” He said when Keith broke away to catch his breath before being pulled into another kiss. “Ditto.” Kiss. “I mean,” Kiss. “I promise, too.” Kiss.

They pulled away and rested their foreheads together as they caught their breath. Keith caressed Lance’s cheek softly before wrapping him up in his arms again.  
Lance sighed contently into Keith’s chest. He always felt secure here, like it was the safest place in the universe.

The quiet moment was broken when they heard voices in the hall.

“Are you sure they headed this way?” Allura’s voice was faint but the sound of her heels was getting closer, along with the sounds of other feet following.

“Well, we checked in all the rooms on the other side of the hall. By process of elimination, they should be in one of the rooms on this side of the hall.” Hunk answered Allura’s question.

“I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.” Pidge’s voice was slightly disgruntled as she followed the others. “They’re probably making out in a supply closet somewhere and I _don't_ wanna see that!”

The others laughed at Pidge’s disgusted tone.

“Well, they have the rest of their lives to do that,” Shiro said good-naturedly while grabbing onto Adam’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “But they can’t skip out on their own reception.”

“Takashi’s right.” Adam squeezed back and smiled at his husband. “Now let’s hurry up and find the grooms so we can get the party started!”

The small group cheered before resuming their search. They were just about to open the door to the dressing room before it opened itself and Keith and Lance walked out hand in hand.

“Hey, guys! No need to look for us anymore, we’re right here!” Lance smiled at his friends while Keith wrapped an arm around him and tucked him into his side.

Allura noticed the red rimming Lance’s eyes and frowned in concern. “Are you all right? Have you been crying? What’s the matter?”

She shot a glare in Keith’s direction before Lance put his hands up to stop her. “No, no! I’m fine, Allura, honest! We were just… exchanging some private vows.”

The grooms watched as their friends’ smiles turned soft.

“Ugh,” Pidge’s nose scrunched up in mock revulsion. “How are you two even sappier than before? I thought it would have stopped after you got married. Is this what we’re all going to be subjected to for the rest of our lives?”

The group laughed again while Lance pretended to glare at her.

“Hey! It’s my wedding day, Pidge! I can be as sappy and romantic as I want!”

Keith chuckled. “Is that what you’re calling it?” Lance squawked in mock outrage while the rest of the group laughed at their antics. Keith kissed Lance softly. “I’m kidding. I love you.”

The couple was oblivious to their friends’ tender expressions as they watched their exchange.

Hunk sniffled loudly before pulling them both into a tight hug. “Oh, man! You guys keep making me cry! I love you both so much! I’m so happy for you!”

The couple hugged their emotional friend back just as tightly.

“We love you, too, big guy!” Lance said to his best friend. Keith patted Hunk on the back.

“Anyone else feeling a little left out?” Pidge spoke up after watching the three guys hug for a moment.

“Do you think we should join in?” Allura asked.

“Group hug?” Shiro asked the rest of them.

“Group hug!” They all said together before rushing forward and wrapping their arms around the hugging trio.

Keith and Lance laughed when they felt their friends jostle each other lightly to try to be as close to the couple as they could. They were surrounded by their friends and they never felt more loved than in that moment.

They broke apart when they heard Coran’s voice call to them from down the hall.

“There you all are! I was wondering where you had run off to!” Coran rushed forward when he saw Keith and Lance in the centre of the group. “Ah! I see you’ve found our missing grooms! Just in time for the reception! Well done!”

The grooms let themselves be led by their friends to the room the reception was being held. They smiled at each other and clasped their hands together again.

* * *

The crowd cheered deafeningly as they made their entrance. The number of people in the room was significantly less than during the ceremony, but their enthusiasm was almost double that.

Keith and Lance made their way around the room to greet and thank everyone for attending. Keith made sure to hug each and every member of the McClain family and Lance did the same for Krolia, Shiro, and Adam. Dinner was served and toasts were made to the happy couple.

Lance couldn’t remember the last time he was so happy and carefree. Keith felt himself falling deeper in love each time he saw Lance’s bright smile and joyful laugh. He saw Shiro and Adam smirk at him when they caught him staring at Lance, but Keith only rolled his eyes and continued to stare. Nothing could make him take his eyes away from Lance, and Keith felt so lucky to be able to call Lance his husband.

When it came time to cut the cake, Keith made Lance promise not to smear any on his face. He still laughed along when Lance managed to get a small amount on the tips of both their noses. Keith loved the smile on Lance’s face and vowed to himself that he would do everything he could to ensure it stayed there.

They had agreed to take turns leading each other during the dances, but Lance wanted Keith to lead during their first dance. Lance rested his head on Keith’s chest while the song they chose played. Keith led them around the dance floor in a simple slow dance. They shared brief but loving kisses and the crowd cheered and clapped each time. They were surrounded by their loved ones and their love for each other, and they were as content as can be.

They had been through so much, had sacrificed so much. They had both lost many things during the war. As they looked around the room and at what they had gained, they thanked whatever deity granted them with all this love. They felt like the luckiest people alive. They had a long and happy road ahead of them, and they had all the love and support they needed. They were stronger here together than they could ever be alone. They held each other close and silently promised that they were never going to let go.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a comment below!
> 
> You can follow me on Twitter if you like so we can yell about Voltron and other fandoms together!
> 
> [@stormie2817](https://twitter.com/stormie2817)
> 
> I'm definitely more active on Twitter, but I also have a Tumblr that you can follow me on!
> 
> [not-so-sunnie](http://not-so-sunnie.tumblr.com/)


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